The word game marketed under the trademark BOGGLE, marketed by Hasbro, is a well-known word forming game. Currently, one form of the BOGGLE brand word game includes an openable container having a partitioned dice tray, a removable transparent shell cover, a plurality of generally cubic-shaped dice, each side of which contains a letter, and a timer in the form of a plastic hourglass. The BOGGLE brand game is played by positioning the shell on the dice tray, followed by a vigorous shaking of the container. The shaking causes the letter bearing dice to be reoriented in a random fashion. An additional gentle shake of the shell covered tray may be needed to align the dice with a grid made by the partitioned tray, and thereafter, the timer is started. The players then try to form as many three and four letter words from adjoining dice in the container as possible within a specific time period, usually three minutes. A point system determines the winner. The BOGGLE brand word game is very successful in the marketplace and has been sold for decades.
Other word games and the like, using containers and dice have been patented over the years. By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,526,123 to Dawson, for a “Dice Game Device” purports to disclose a word forming game having a shakable hollow body, a portion of which is transparent, and having a plurality of compartments containing the dice. After being shaken, a player attempts to form words from the dice visible through the top of the hollow body. Another U.S. Pat. No. 3,724,847, to Compton, for a “Dice Tumbling Chamber With Timer” purports to disclose a first chamber in a transparent box having dice and several rods for the dice to strike when the box is shaken, and a second chamber having a timing glass. Each die has a letter of the alphabet formed on each face of the die. The game is played by an inversion of the box. Inversion causes the dice to fall against the rods and tumble before coming to rest at the bottom of the box, causing a random arrangement of the dice. Inversion also causes the timer to begin a new timing cycle. Thereafter, players try to form as many words as possible from letters on upturned faces of the dice within the time allotted by the timing glass.
Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 4,036,503, to Golick for a “Puzzle Game” purports to disclose a box with a transparent front wall enclosing a plurality of dice, each die bearing a visually distinguishing feature. The object of the game is to arrange the dice by manipulating the box so that the visually distinguishing features of the dice are in a selected order. Another U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,796, to Monson, for a “Dice Shaker” purports to disclose a dice shaking device including a box with a transparent front wall, an interior with a slotted partition and two chambers. To one side of the partition is a display chamber and to the other side of the partition is a dice mixing chamber. The tumbled dice are passed one at a time through the slot in the partition from the mixing chamber to the display chamber so that the dice can be displayed to the game players.
A further example of patents illustrating dice games is found by reference to U.S. Pat. No. 4,428,580 to Pasquine for a “Variable Dice Game Device” that purports to disclose a generally transparent box having four compartments of which one compartment is covered on one side. A ten-sided die is located in each compartment, each die having a number from 1 to 9 and 0 formed on each of the die faces. Play begins by agitating the box and the dice so that one side of the box displays three random generated numbers and the other side of the box, four random generated numbers. Still another example is U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,173, to Stern for a “Device For The Random Selection Of Letters And Game Utilizing Same” which purports to disclose a transparent box having a plate with holes mounted in the box so as to divide the box interior into a lower chamber and an upper chamber. Both chambers are filled with a liquid and the upper chamber is also filled with a plurality of balls. The diameter of each ball is slightly larger than the diameter of the holes in the plate, and each ball is filled with a gas having a lower specific gravity than the liquid. Each ball is also printed with a letter. The box is shaken and then placed in an inverted position so that the balls rise. Some of the balls will randomly and partially enter the holes in the plate. Various word games may be played based on the letters on the balls in the holes.
Still another word game patent is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,824,136, entitled “Alpha Cubes Game” where five different color dice are provided with one die bearing vowels on the die faces, and four other dice provide different combinations of twenty-four consonants. The players take turns rolling one of the dice and “banking” the letter or blank that is rolled. A point system accorded to words created by each player from the banked letters results in a winner when a predetermined score is reached. Another word game is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0230914, entitled “Word Game Apparatus,” listing Campbell as the inventor. The game includes a bag, a scoop for each player, a plurality of game pieces in the bag, with each piece bearing a letter, and a timer. The game begins by each player removing game pieces from the bag using the scoop and thereafter words are formed from the pieces possessed by each player within a specific time period. Yet another word game is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0285338, entitled “Timer And Dice Games.” The disclosed game purports to include a game board, a twenty-sided letter die, a six-sided bonus die, a timer, a tile tray and work tiles. Using this equipment allows a traditional word game like that of the SCRABBLE brand word game to be played.
Different, more stimulating and more attractive devices are often sought to refresh existing games to appeal to new and as well as to older generations of players.